Online dispute resolution platform well-received by public

The first-of-its-kind online dispute resolution platform in Shanghai has been well-received by the public since starting operations in December 2022, according to the Shanghai Municipal Justice Bureau.

Peng Sen, deputy division head of rule of law promotion at the bureau, said at a media interview on Thursday that the goal of establishing the online platform was to help individuals and enterprises with disputes related to areas like consumer activity, marriage and family affairs, medical treatment and pre-paid services quickly find an appropriate mediation center.

"When a user specifies details of the dispute, the system will automatically recommend several dispute mediation centers according to the address and the scope of dispute resolution. The user can then choose a suitable center to proceed with the dispute resolution process," explained Peng.

To date, 95 percent of the more than 14,000 disputes logged on the platform have been resolved by mediation centers.

Zhang Yi, an inspector at the bureau, said that more than 6,700 dispute mediation centers can be found on the platform.

Some workers at district-level dispute mediation centers said that the number of cases they have received has grown since the launch of the online platform as it is easy to use and accessible to people from different backgrounds.

Peng said the platform will undergo an upgrade later this year.

"More dispute mediation institutions will become part of the platform, thus giving people more choices. Also, new functions like online mediation will be introduced," he said.